


Bellow Your Surface

by UNDEADMANZ



Series: within a few more nights, you'll find me there. [1]
Category: Ensemble Stars! (Video Game)
Genre: Fluff, Idiots in Love, Internalized Homophobia, M/M, hakaze kaoru is gay, he doesnt know that tough
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-22
Updated: 2020-11-22
Packaged: 2021-03-09 21:15:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,417
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27562906
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/UNDEADMANZ/pseuds/UNDEADMANZ
Summary: but avoiding the sun was impossible.
Relationships: Hakaze Kaoru/Morisawa Chiaki
Series: within a few more nights, you'll find me there. [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1998925
Kudos: 19





	Bellow Your Surface

**Author's Note:**

> small school days interactions. it's just Kaoru pining without realizing it-

his day started out like any other; stall to stay in bed a few more minutes, get a word or two from his father, drop by the cafe on the way to school for breakfast, get scolded by Keito for being late.

except that last one. because Keito was not in class. in fact the class was more empty than usual, excluding a Chiaki sitting at his desk reading what seems to be a comic book.

"hey, Moricchi." he slid into his seat next to the brunet.

"morning, Hakaze!" Chiaki almost beamed.

"where the hell is everyone?" Kaoru rested his chin in his palm, his eyes scanned over the open page in front of Chiaki, but drifted back to crimson when he didn't recognize it.

"ah, didn't you hear? Tsukinaga's back."

Kaoru furrowed his brows in confusion. Tsukinaga-kun? half the year has already passed- why the hell was he back.

"explains why Senacchi's been upset. he's probably drowning in Leo-kun's arms right now~" a smile played with his lips as he imagined a very flustered Izumi. 

Chiaki chuckles before going back to a semi-serious face. aka a smaller smile. "I wish that was the case. apparently he challenged Knights to a duel."

"a duel?" Kaoru repeated, "that's one way to celebrate his return. I had a date yesterday so I had to leave early, what a shame~"

"why? wasn't the date worth it?"

"it was... decent."

"is something wrong, Hakaze? you know you can rely on me!" Chiaki leaned into Kaoru's personal space, leaving the blonde wide-eyed with something boiling in his throat, breath tickling his lips.

"s..space- Moricchi." the stutter only made it worse.

"oh- right. sorry!" Chiaki leaned back with an apologetic smile. "I still have to work on that habit. Takamine says it's creepy!" 

Kaoru only nodded, still questioning what consumed his thoughts a moment ago. something he's been trying to conceal for a while now. that wasn't the first time Chiaki had done that, but the urge to lean in and- was something new.

when he looked back at Chiaki, he was already emerged back in his reading. glasses hung loosely over his nose, he can tell whenever something exciting happened from the way Chiaki's eyes delighted at times. he found himself smiling at that. and he cursed himself for it.

Kaoru isn't. sure. per say, about what Chiaki does to him. 

everyone's aware of his charm, his warm embraces and selflessness. it gives off a sense of security and care. Kaoru rationalized something in him liked that. something he missed. he also rationalized that his face gets hot because Chiaki's always warm. annoyingly warm at times. yeah.

he tries to distract himself by scrolling through his phone until class starts.

by lunch time Izumi was back. and they sat down to eat together for the first time in a while.

"soo.. Tsukinaga-kun, huh?" Kaoru teased as he played with the salad he ordered. (Senacchi refused to buy anything and settled with his homemade bento, meanwhile Moricchi settled with just fries.)

Izumi rolled his eyes at the comment. "don't even talk about him. just thinking about the trouble he caused within a week of his return brings me a headache."

"what exactly happened?" Chiaki asked, mouth half full of food.

"yeah Senacchi, what happened with your _boyfriend?_ " Kaoru chuckled.

the silver haired boy scoffed, but chose not to acknowledge what the blonde said because Kaoru had a habit of teasing Izumi. or well- they had a habit of teasing each other, and Kaoru's just taking revenge for that one time a few months ago where Izumi ended ever sentence directed to Kaoru with 'virgin' for a week straight. which caused Kaoru to state that no, he in fact isn't a virgin, and hasn't been one since he was sixteen. which prompted Chiaki to ask if something like that was appropriate for Kaoru's age at the time. which led to their greatest inside joke yet:

"with big status, comes mad pussy."

(Morisawa would replace pussy with 'potential' or something. while Sena would start the phrase and wait for Kaoru to finish it. we get it, you're not straight Senacchi.)

"he made this whole ordeal about his return." Izumi jabbed his fork into the bento box in frustration, "made a new unit and all..-named it "Knight killers" and even put fucking Tenshouin-kun in it!" he gave up on whatever he was trying to murder and flung his hand up, almost throwing the fork. meanwhile Chiaki listened carefully. he's always been a good listener, he'd listen to Kaoru's girl problems even if he had no idea what to say. Chiaki really was pure in every way.

the brunet's lips curved slightly. "that explains his absence.."

"so?" Kaoru pushed right through the conversation.

"so?" Izumi repeated, rising an eyebrow at the blonde before going in for another round of stabbing.

Kaoru groaned, "don't make me beg for it- who won!?"

Chiaki laughed quietly, and for a brief second that laugh had Kaoru's whole attention before Izumi's 'hmph!' brought him back. clearly offended by the fact that Kaoru didn't simply come to the most obvious conclusion, that "we won, of course!"

Kaoru shook his head mentally, grounding himself for a few more minutes. "damn, even after all the shit he went through, he lost." he rested his chin in his palm.

"don't worry, he wasn't upset in the slightest." Izumi finally successfully got the cherry tomato he was aiming for.

"really?" Kaoru half asked, just dragging the conversation at this point.

"it is Tsukinaga we're talking about, soo.." Chiaki trailed off, taking a few fries into his mouth. Kaoru smiled, his gaze followed Chiaki's mouth.

then he quickly whipped that smile off of his face and focused on the plate in front of him.

what. the fuck.

was Kaoru really that sleep deprived? to the point of staring at Morisawa like he's some school girl in love? Kaoru almost laughed at the thought. but it was still a dangerous thought. and he knew it was time to start skipping school for dates again when he found Chiaki's troubled expression during math class adorable.

maybe he missed shy giggles and hair tucks from across the cafe table. and he had a number from a girl he saw at their latest live. he liked her energy and how excited she got when she saw him. so he decided to shoot his shot. can't be worse than his last date, right?

until- last minute he decided against it. he didn't want to lead anyone on, he needed to cease with that habit. so surfing his time away was his remedy. 

and he kept going on with that routine. to keep himself busy from, Chiaki. because Kaoru was jealous of him. or envious, of the way Anzu hid behind Morisawa and clung to him whenever Kaoru was around. he didn't get what Chiaki had that he lacked. for all he knows, Chiaki doesn't have any dating experience nor does he seem interested in Anzu. (and to be fair, Anzu doesn't seem interested in him either. it feels like she just wants to get away from Kaoru, adding salt to the wound.)

but he questioned all of that, laying on the marine bio clubroom couch, lost in thought and light bubbly noises. and Kanata's humming.

and- he felt awful, blaming Morisawa for his own insecurities. Chiaki has been nothing but kind to him. and he's been called a nuisance enough times to know when to quit.

so he left Moricchi alone.

Kaoru doesn't know how he could become any stupider. after Knights' big live celebrating their king's return, he offered to help Izumi carry equipment back stage, since Izumi still had a meet and greet to do, and Kaoru wanted something to keep him busy. and to his surprise (and misfortune), he found Chiaki there. he smiled at Kaoru, and Kaoru did his best to offer a smile along with an awkward wave -like he hasn't been avoiding him for a week- as he walked to the other side of the room to pick up some boxes.

the tension was fucking unbearable. who know quite Chiaki was worse than loud Chiaki? they quickly made their way to the storage room then placed the boxes down, filled with wires, outfits and the like, and just. stood there. Kaoru couldn't take it. his plan backfired and he felt worse seeing Morisawa like this.

"hey Moricchi, you alright?" his brows slightly creased, and it felt like forever before Chiaki turned around with a confused expression.

"hm? yeah! I'm alright! what's up?" finally. that voice. it almost felt comforting hearing his loud voice.

"nothing- you were quite, just wanted to check up on you." Kaoru replied hesitantly, scratching the back of his neck and shoving his hand in his pocket.

Chiaki lit up. good.

"ah, you seemed really exhausted, I didn't wanna intrude!" face holed with dimples, he almost looked cute.

"Moricchi, it's alright. you can still talk." Kaoru whipped up a smile quickly even thought his heart was racing at the thought of- no. gross.

he cleared his throat, "hey we haven't hung out in a minute yeah?" he shifted his gaze away pretending he's looking for something, when in reality Chiaki's intense look was burning him.

Chiaki perked up, "that's true! hmm.. we can watch a movie at my place if you're free!"

if it was anyone but Chiaki, Kaoru would've thought this conversation was heading somewhere else (not that he would care, cause it's with a guy.) but it's Chiaki. they'll probably watch a superhero movie. and plus, he may or may not have missed Morisawa and his company.

and to Kaoru's surprise, they don't watch a tokusatsu show. instead they put on a really good action movie, or at least he's heard. and he learned that Chiaki doesn't necessary only watch tokusatsu shows (although they will always be his favorite) he enjoys all kind of action shows and movies- as long as it doesn't contain horror.

when they enter Chiaki's house, Kaoru didn't know what he expected but it was an average one, and looked pretty lived-in in a good way. Chiaki mentioned that his parents were out of the city, visiting relatives. Kaoru wondered if he felt lonely.

Chiaki's room on the other hand, it's.. what you'd expect from him. the room itself was quite cozy, Kaoru felt as if he's walking into some kind of museum for the color red, it coated every inch of the room from the bedsheets to the posters on the wall. his bed was almost in the center of the room against the back wall, with what looked like a closet door on the right and a desk with papers and a laptop on it on the left. and finally, on the opposite side of the bed was the TV.

they dropped their bags, Kaoru made himself comfortable on the bed before Chiaki let out an excited ah! then walked over to his closet.

"Hakaze, you should change out of your uniform first!" he stated, rummaging through his closet.

Kaoru looked down at his clothes, they weren't dirty, but they weren't the most comfortable. "uh, just give me some sweats or something, the rest is fine." it wasn't weird, right?

after shuffling a bit, Chiaki handed him some navy sweatpants with his usual smile. "the bathroom's on the left."

Kaoru took them and got up, still deciding if it was weird or not. it's just clothes there's nothing weird about that. "thanks Moricchi."

the drowsiness Kaoru's been feeling throughout the weeks only started to catch him on him after the climax of the movie, y'know, the sappy part at the end. the movie itself was good actually, it kept his attention for the most part, the other parts were him staring at how Chiaki was laying on his stomach holding a pillow under his chin and swaying his feet. Kaoru noticed how at the intense parts he'd stop and his head would perk up a little. heh, cute.. no- gross!

at some point Kaoru got tired of sitting and laid down, copying Chiaki but leaving a good distance between them. well, as good as it gets on a twin-size bed with two considerably tall teenage boys. it was a bit awkward at first, their elbows would pump every once in a while. but it got better, they were focused on the movie after all.

and that's how he ended up drifting to sleep. the atmosphere was quite comforting, with the music of the sappy scene where the protagonist finally gets to be with the girl, and the light humming of the ceiling fan, Kaoru's half lidded eyes scanned Chiaki's face one last time.

why do you always help?

back rested against the wall, music bursting loud and a screaming crowd. another DEADMANZ performance and another night thrown away partying. Kaoru scrolled lazily on his phone, having talked to most of the girls at the venue already, he decided to step aside and take a moment to himself.

that was until he heard something crash, like glass breaking, and laughter. he knew that meant trouble. groaning internally and externally, he shoved his phone back in his pocket and headed to where he thought the sound was coming from, and surely, about 3 guys from Yumenosaki were gathered around.. something. he couldn't see.

"hey now, break it up. what's going on here?" he was pretty feared there, or at least had his status as the son of the owner, which helped alot.

"aw, c'mon Hakaze-kun, we're just having fun." one of them said with a mocking tone turning to the other two, who snickered, as if he told the joke of the decade. Kaoru only glared at them for a moment before looking over their shoulders to see what kind of 'fun' they were having.

there on the ground sat Moriwasa, covered from head to shoulders in what looked like a drink. the shattered cup sat next to him. he had a look of shame in his eyes. dull brown eyes.

Kaoru made the trouble makers leave with a warning, then he turned to the brunet. "you alright..?" he asked, almost hesitantly.

Moriwasa shakily stood up, pushing his glasses with the back of his hand. "y-yeah! they sure are troublesome." he smiled. Kaoru gave him a concerned-confused look. he asked how glasses-kun got himself in that situation, the other explained that they were picking on another member from his unit, and he stepped in to stop it but they only turned their aggressions towards him instead.

"I had to!" he exclaimed, god he was loud huh. "it's only right to help anyone who's in trouble!" and maybe Kaoru was selfish, or he liked to mind his own business, but this guy was straight up obnoxious and maybe, if he had to say something good about him it would be selfless.

it wasn't the last time he'd find the brunet like that.

sunlight tickled his eyes as they fluttered open. Kaoru felt a quick panic rise up in his chest then die down just as quick when he realized he hadn't missed school, it was the weekend you dumb fuck. he reached out blindly for the night stand, only to find nothing. he opened his eyes properly, taking in his surroundings as his brain finally started working. ah, right. 

he sat up and turned to his left to see Chiaki sleeping. his hair a mess, his face pressed against the pillow, mouth slight agape and drooling. Kaoru reached out to brush the others hair out of his face- only to retract his hand and look slightly annoyed at himself.

the realization that he fell asleep during the movie (and on Chiaki's bed. next to him.) didn't hit until now, and his annoyed expression grew more intense. ugh, stop being a nuisance. he took his phone from the desk beside the bed only to find it ran out of battery. great. Kaoru's eyes scanned the room for a charger, and there was one just across from where he was sitting. so he got up, walked towards it and plugged his phone in.

the sudden shift in weight had Chiaki's eyes slowly open up, then he perked his head up lazily to look at Kaoru as he wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. bed hair. bed hair is a thing. Kaoru doesn't suffer much from it, his hair is light and pretty soft. but Chiaki's hair, it stood up on the side that was pressed to the pillow. Kaoru smiled.

"Mornin', Moricchi."

"good morning, Hakaze." voice: raw and quite, the smile he gave was a gentle exhausted one. his face still lightly resting on the pillow. what.

he realized a bit too late that he was staring, Chiaki's face was a bit flushed, a detail Kaoru paid attention to as he made his way back to the bed and sat beside Chiaki. the silence was suffocating but at the same time comfortable.

"sorry for uh, dozing off like that?" Kaoru gave a sheepish smile, hoping that the sunlight wasn't enough to show his burning face.

Chiaki braced himself on his elbows as he looked up at Kaoru with that tired smile, "don't worry about it, Hakaze." Chiaki sat up with a grunt, wiggling off the bed and walking over to his closet. he mentioned that he was bad with mornings before, but seeing him so deprived of energy was strange to say the least.

Chiaki walked back to Kaoru, offering him a toothbrush and a towel. Kaoru gave Chiaki a questioning look as he took them. "they're spares," he explained as he waved his own toothbrush and placed a towel on his shoulder. Kaoru made an 'ah' expression as he looked down at the items.

"I'll make coffee, you can go first." his voice was still raw and really calm compared to his every day voice. even his eyes weren't so intense. 

the scent of coffee filled the kitchen along with the sound of humming. Kaoru watched Chiaki for a moment before making steps that weren't so stealthy. Chiaki turned to him with a smile. "Morning!- wait we already said that." his face turned into a small pout for a moment, Kaoru couldn't help but chuckle. 

Kaoru walked over to the counter and placed his hands on it, leaning to see what Chiaki was doing.

"do you want milk with it or?" Chiaki tilted his head.

"depends on what you're having with it."

"I usually just have toast. but I can make something if you want! just uh- know that I'm not that good at cooking." the brunet pulls out two mugs from one of the cabinets.

Kaoru hummed thoughtfully, "I could make something, y'know, as a thanks."

"Hakaze! there's no need for thanks." he'll always waver before those eyes.

"you needed the rest right? I'm glad you managed to at least sleep a little."

before Chiaki could burn him, Kaoru pushed Chiaki out of the way, "nope, I can make decent pancakes. get me the ingredients and I'll whip it up quickly." he tried to not sound frustrated, and was relieved when Chiaki brushed it aside and brought him two bowls and a whisk.

after bringing the ingredients over, (which he thankfully had.) Chiaki placed his crossed arms over the counter and rested his chin atop them, watching Kaoru crack an egg with ease, but now with one hand- he's not that skilled. whisking the whites first, then adding them to the mixture and giving it one last mix. Kaoru handed Chiaki the whisk, "we'll leave it for about 10 minutes." Chiaki nodded, placing the whisk in the sink then smiling back at Kaoru.

"then I'll go freshen up at the mean time."

a few minutes pass before Chiaki came back with slightly damped hair, (did he wash it in the fucking sink? what the hell moricchi.) they sit down together, the smell of fresh pancakes and coffee filling the air. Chiaki didn't wait and immediately dug in. Kaoru paused for a moment, anxiously waiting for a reaction.

a satisfied mmm! cut his anxiety short as he mentally sighed in relief and picked up his fork. "Hakaze they're amazing! you really are talented!" Chiaki exclaimed between bites. Kaoru smiled to himself.

it's been a while since he's sat down and peacefully had breakfast. the warmth was really nice.

he wondered if it was Chiaki's warmth.


End file.
